12 replies so far

I use padauk and Maple together and I try to finish the Maple before the Padauk. I use different applicators and try to be as dust free as I can before I start. A high pressure air nozzle helps. The padauk is really a problem with Maple end grain or curly grain. Hopefully someone else has a ‘magic’ solution.

when using padauk and maple i don’t ever get really aggressive with the sanding grit. When i started I noticed when i would use a 80 grit to make my stuff flat that the red would mix with the white. when i start sanding with a 150 the colors don’t blend as bad then i wipe it all down with grain then apply the finish

Scrape , don’t sand : ) Don’t count on the Padauk retaining its bright color if that’s what you’re after. You’ll need a finish with UV inhibitors to slow the color changing process and you’ll need to test your finishes on scraps because they will also change the Padauk color. If you must use Padauk , see if you can finish it or the Maple first.

I pre-assemble without gluing. Then take it apart and sand or scrap and finish. Then glue it up and final sand and put on the final coats. The finished product can come out beautiful if done carefully.

An issue beyond the dust is the color bleed from padauk when finish is applied. Nowadays I try to limit myself to oil/varnish mixes or lacquer sprayed in thin coats. In my experience with the stuff polyurethane takes forever to dry even after a mineral spirits bath, and the color bleeds badly with shellac padded on.

I had the audacity to make a padauk and maple chess board. It’s pretty hard to make a sloid chaess board without a lot of sanding. In the end I had to settle for some discoloration of the maple. But I did learn (too late) that compressed air after sanding gets rid of a lot of the problem.

A note on padauk color change: UV is the culprit. I have several pieces I’ve made over the years that live in interior rooms with no sunlight, and the redness is 100% intact.

I must say that I have never experienced color “bleed” aside from the contamination of paduk dust into the pores of lighter woods. When finishing (with poly) the rag gets all orange but I think that is just residual dust.

I guess I’m not following the term “bleed” in this case. To me…”bleed” means that the actual color is seeping from the wood and soaking into another wood…I don’t see that happening. In my estimation, any “bleed” would be from stray dust.

I’m curious if actual “bleed” happens that is not tied to dust…or am I misunderstanding something?

Greg, I agree 100%. I’m pretty sure what 4thumbs called color bleed is just padauk dust being carried over to the lighter wood as the finish is applied. It would not happen if there was no dust, but getting rid of 100% of the dust before finishing is easier said than done.

I have had the same issue with color bleed. However, I don’t just think it is dust. Padauk is a very oily wood and even when you use acetone to remove excess oil for gluing, the rag turns bright orange or red from the oil. I watched my project as it grabbed shellac and you could literally see the oil from the Padauk creeping into the wood. I am using curly maple and the discoloration seems to be showing off the curl of the maple, so I will try to use this to my advantage.